Author: dpatrickryan

Terrapin Beer Co. Poivre Potion Saison at 9.3% ABV (US$8.99 at Knightly Spirits Williamsburg, 650 ml, best before 7-Dec-2016, acquired 1-May-2016, reviewed 5-May-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, peppercorn, pale malt, floral, earthy. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, mildly warming spicy and funky finish. (4/5)

Not a bad saison. A little hard to tell whether the warming is from the peppercorn or the fairly high ABV, but I guess that constitutes pretty good integration. Definitely one from the odder side of the spectrum, but pleasant nonetheless. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dogfish Head Brewery Noble Rot Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 9% ABV (US$12.99 at Knightly Spirits Williamsburg, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-May-2016, reviewed 2-May-2016)

Appearance: clear pale gold with a short, short-lived white head, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: complex, grape must, stone fruit, oaky, gooseberry, and really pretty much any other bush/wild/field berry you can think of. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, moderate tart. (9/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, off-dry mildly warming and funky finish. (4/5)

Wow. I went with “Fruit / Vegetable Beer” because to my knowledge there’s still no BJCP classification for “Weird Hybrid Grapey Thing”. This might be the first hybrid I’ve had that’s worth a damn. Rather than a hint of white wine (i.e. Nelson Sauvin hops, still my favourite, I love you Nelson Sauvin, don’t ever change) or an overwhelming cheap wine kit must (I’m looking at you, Phillips’ Sax in the Dark) this is a well-balanced integration of beer character with botrytis-infected Viognier (officially two of my favourite new words) grape must. Deep, lingering complexity on a light, crisp body. This shit will very politely fuck you up. God. Damn. I won’t actually recommend robbing your local liquor store, but anything short of that is fair game. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dogfish Head Brewery Squall IPA (2016 Limited Release) American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV (US$10.99 at Knightly Spirits Williamsburg, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-May-2016, reviewed 2-May-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: initial piney resin and citrus, pale and caramel malt, then coffee, light floral, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, moderate duration mildly warming bitter finish. (4/5)

Coffee? Why’m I getting coffee? Is it the Palisades? The Amarillo? I’m puzzled… Initially upon decapping, there is a pleasant room-filling aroma of piney resin and citrus, but that abates to, well, coffee. Everything else is quite nice: the body is on the pleasantly full side of medium with a slightly oily texture, carbonation is good, and the malt backing is clean and appropriate to the bitter. The ABV is sufficient for just a gentle warming but otherwise unobtrusive. I’d call this a very, very good DIPA, if I were only getting more sustained citrus/pine/floral on the nose. As it stands, there’s a lingering and inexplicable coffee, and it’s merely good. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Blue Moon Brewing Company White IPA American IPA at 5.9% ABV (US$1.99 at Publix Super Market at Lake Cay Commons, 355 ml, best before 8-Aug-2016, acquired 30-Apr-2016, reviewed 2-May-2016)

Appearance: opaque pale gold with one fat finger of fluffy off-white head diminishing gradually to a loose cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, wheat, light pine, earth, floral. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-low carbonation, short duration moderate bitter finish. (3/5)

Quite promising on uncapping, but the hops faded rapidly. It gradually becomes apparent that this is basically Blue Moon with less coriander and more hops. It’s not terrible, and it’s certainly better than Blue Moon, but it’s a long way from being great. (12/20)

6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Yuengling Brewery Traditional Lager – American Amber / Red at 4.4% ABV

On tap at Rosen Shingle Creek Orlando. Surprisingly decent for a mass market lager. Good colour, decent malt profile. Would have again if nothing better available. 5.5/10

#ryansbooze

Traditional Lager

Patrick is drinking a Traditional Lager by Yuengling Brewery on Untappd

Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) Rebel Rouser Double IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.4% ABV (US$1.99 at Publix Super Market at Lake Cay Commons, 355 ml, best before 1-Jul-2016, acquired 30-Apr-2016, reviewed 30-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear pale to medium amber with two fingers of rocky ivory head (on an aggressive pour), good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dank pine, pithy grapefruit, caramel malt, earth and floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering intense bitter finish. (4/5)

Y’know, I was going to say this is not bad for a fairly mass-market beer, but the fact is, I think I can drop the qualifier: this is flat-out not bad at all. It’s a bit on the malty side, but not malt-dominant the way some DIPA’s can be. Total hop bomb, with maybe a shade more malt than I’d like, but pretty well balanced overall. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) Rebel Grapefruit IPA American IPA at 6.3% ABV (US$1.99 at Publix Super Market at Lake Cay Commons, 355 ml, best before 1-Aug-2016, acquired 30-Apr-2016, reviewed 30-Apr-2016)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: grapefruit (juice, not pith), sweet caramel malt, mild pine and earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Not bad at all – but I am a sucker for a grapefruit IPA. All things considered, pretty good for a fairly mass-market beer. (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brouwerij Hoegaarden (InBev) Hoegaarden (Blanche) Witbier at 5% ABV (On tap at Boccone YYZ, reviewed 30-Apr-2016)

Appearance: cloudy opaque pale gold with one finger of fine off-white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, minimal patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: orange peel, coriander, yeasty wheat, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, mild tart, light peppery spice. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, short duration lightly tart and spicy finish. (4/5)

A classic that I’ve had many times, yet somehow never reviewed. And they served it in a bucket-sized glass so what’s not to like? (Honestly, it was a jug without a handle! It almost took two hands for me to drink from it when it was full! Ok, ok, I know it’s just thick glass – but it’s still impressive.) Serving size aside, it’s a pretty reliable mass-market standard. Light, easy to drink (though you might need to use both hands!) and probably the standard against which witbiers are measured. No complaints here. (16/20)

8/10 #1001beers #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Mill Street Brewery Don Valley Bench Hefeweizen at 4.5% ABV (On tap at Mill Street Brewpub YYZ, reviewed 30-Apr-2016)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of slightly creamy white head, moderate retention and lacing. (3/5) Aroma: muted, grainy pale malt, grassy. (4/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild bitter, very light tart. (4/10) Palate: light body, moderate carbonation, short duration mildly bitter finish. (3/5)

Meh. Really bland. Almost no wheat at all, except for a very little sour-ish edge. But for that, it could almost be a macro lager – except it’s not that crisp. Finishes reasonably clean, but there’s just not much going on. (9/20)

4.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

The Bruery Or Xata Spice / Herb / Vegetable at 7.1% ABV (C$16.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, bottle date 19-Jan-2016, acquired 16-Apr-2016, reviewed 27-Apr-2016)

Appearance: hazy straw with one finger of loose fluffy white head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: sweet lactic, vanilla, cinnamon, rice. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, mild bitter, light spice. (7/10) Palate: medium-light creamy body, moderate carbonation, short duration mildly spicy finish. (3/5)

What. The. Hell. Is. That? Seriously weird. Not offensive, mind you, but more like a milk shake than a beer. Creamy lactic, vanilla, and cinnamon. Ooo, ooo, no, it’s not a milk shake, it’s rice pudding. Boozy rice pudding. So, y’know, not a lot to actually DISlike. What? I like rice pudding, OK? (13/20)

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com